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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 6, 1995)
Oregon Daily FRIDAY, JANUARY 6. 1995 Professors question enactment of Measure 8 Contribution: Employees raise their eyebrows at the latest order to give up a portion of their earnings to retirement funds Marcelene Edwards Oregon Omy Eme/ak) University professors nil over campus have expressed doubts about tne fairness of Measure H, the ns entlv passed ballot measure thnt requires public employees to con tribute 6 percent of their salaries to their pensions "It stinks." Associate Professor of Physics Raymond Frey said. It makes music theory Professor Robert Hurwitz want to M ream Others share-similar feel the imple mentation of the measure becomes a reality in their lives Three legal challenges have been filed to block Mea sure 8. One of the main debates surrounding the measure has las-n the possibility of constitutional violations T think there are serious constitutional questions involved with the measure." Hurwitz said But. ho said, (he legal challenges filed should tie allowed to mn their courses quietly. “It is more likely to be suo essfuI if wo are allowisl duo pro*.os*.” Hurwitz said. Others argue the measure was not appropriate for as ballot measure from the start "Tlvore are some very odd things about it Unfortunately, it was i ouched as a constitutional amendment." said A Dana Johnston, professor of geological m ience A ft percent contribution by government to public employee pensions, whit h has now lx*en eliminated by Measure H, was first implemented in the t‘»7ik when state employees had a j»a> freeze Most stall* employees viewed it as part of their salary or at least part of their benefit package With the state conlrihution taken away, employees are required to contribute t> peri ent from their own salary It is essentially a 12 pert ent reduction in the salary pack age. Johnston said Members of the Faculty Senate will meet Wednesday. )an 11, to discuss whether to endorse a request to the state Hoard of Higher Education to offset the effects of Measure H On IVt If.' 1'et.j the Inter institutional I n lilts Sen ate met with the txiartt to ills* uss the effects of Measure H on the faculty Anthony Wilt os. a professor at Oregon State Univer sity. spoke at the meeting saving that "Measure tt is the proverbial straw that breaks the faculty's ls« k " He i ailed for a raise in salurv for university professors citing the (Vt tfl, t'lu-t issue of The Chnwicle of Higher Education. whit h reported that Oregon had the largest reduction in fat ullv salaries of all the states in the last two years. He .ilso saitl that Oregon faculty is paid “approximately 20 pert ent less than faculty at comparable institutions in other states ” Johnston >-t bowl that sentiment, saying that when ha rev lew s grant proposals from other universities he alvvay s notices that other professors are earning more than the ones in Oregon. "There is no doubt we are way behind," he said OAH'f <>RASS.t University of Oregon freshman Travis Ferguson lost control of his car during Ns morning commute to astronomy class Thursday Brief cold spell brings snow, ice to Eugene Weather: Changes in temperatures create unexpected conditions Thursday which may lead to some travel problems this weekend Ban Moebius Oeecn Daily ImaraM Snowmen and siiumImII fights were not quite possible, but the ground was covered Thursday with a light layer of late Christmas cheer Temperatures dipped below freezing during the night bringing some ice and snow to Eugene. The brief freeze caused a few accidents on Lane County's roads, accord ing to State Police Captain Rusty Wolfe "Most of the nci idents were minor fender-Umders." Wolfe said, "but we did get alxmt sis to eight calls tiefoni 10 a m." Wolfe predicted that the police department would be responding to at least as many calls today with tempera ture* expected to drop below freezing again overnight "It could even turn out to be worse." Wolfe said "With the melted snowfall from the day before, there might be more ice." OAKY ORAS&f nwatl The (-5 bridges can be dangerous when temperatures tall below freezing Employees contest pension measure Argue: Courts will now determine the constitu tionality of Measure 8 Tiffany Smith Ooy*1 CU •> l "Was/ A legal challenge was filed Thursday in the lainti County Or cult Court that seeks to have Mea sure H. which requires puhlic employees to contribute 8 per i ent of their salaries to their [elu sions. dei I it rod unconstitutional. Among the plaintiffs are two former Oregon governors and a former chief justice of the Oregon Supreme Court According to University Pres ident l Vive Frohnmayer, the con stitutionality of the measure comes down to three pure ques tions of law. Because Measure H was craft ed under the initiative process and not through the legislature, Frohnmayer said it violates the Guarantee Clause of the U S. Con stitution, which provides for a republican form of government. Turn to MEASURE. Page 3A ■ GOOD MORNING WASHINGTON (AP) — Actress Marilyn Monroe will grace a U S postage stamp this year, with the design being otticially unveiled today at Planet Holly wood in New York The 32-cent Monroe stamp will be the first in a series honor ing legends ol Hollywood, postal officials said. The stamp carries a reproduc tion of Monroe's signature and artwork based on a movie star image that post office publicity describes as epitomising "the explosive combination of talent and vulnerable beauty that con tmues to enrapture America and the world."
